Journal Entry

Question to Ponder on Public Art

When giving consideration to entering the world of public art, specific questions must be entertained:
Can this transition be accomplished without loosing ourselves
and sacrificing our artistic expressions? What are the insights on how to sustain
ourselves as we float into this new arena? How does an artist, who has never erected a
public work, demonstrate competence to a panel of jurors, proving they are a viable
contestant? Once in the public art world, what techniques can we share? For the past
three decades, while treading water or vigorously swimming towards that public art raft,
Tom Latka and I have discovered a few modes of survival. Some
experiences we have learned:

Survival tip #1… get use to rejection....which is like saying get used to falling out of an
airplane but keep it in perspective....‘no’ is only a two letter word, one syllable and can’t
be given too much credibility… and yet, in the same breath, rejection hurts. The ability to
rebound and keep moving forward after a crushing defeat is crucial. It’s the main
ingredient that propels one to the next proposal. Existing in the art world, one becomes adept
at dodging spears that pierce the heart but rejection ultimately cuddles up with dreams
and both must be juggled.

Posted on 07/02 at 03:20 PM

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”

--Winston Churchill

That sums up the dilemma of being a public artist and staying in the public realm. I save all of our rejection letters and keep them in a file. Why? It’s just a reminder of sorts to keep humble and not take the rejections too seriously.